Amanda Orneck

Play MMOs anywhere with the Panasonic Jungle

I love technology; that's largely why I got into gaming in the first place. So when I learn that Panasonic is developing a handheld console specifically for MMO gamers, I had to know more. Meet the Panasonic Jungle, an odd looking device designed to allow gamers to play their favorite MMOs while on the go. Sporting a HD display, a full QWERTY keyboard a mini HDMI port, a micro USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, and looks like a high tech undersea mollusk, the Jungle hopes to bring Panasonic back into the world of handheld gaming.

The device will launch with a new MMO, Battlestar Galactica Online, as well as an onling gaming show. Since we're just learning about it, there's no word on which games will be playable on the device, but I assume they wouldn't put a product out that can't play all the big titles. An MMO handheld that doesn't play AION and WoW won't do so well.

Rumor has it that the Jungle will feature a linux OS, which makes me wonder how easy it will be to play games designed for PC and Mac. Of course, you can always run Wine, but that leads me to believe that they're not thinking this whole thing through. If I buy a console to run MMOs, I expect it to run them, without having to download middleman software just to get my favorite games to work.

As more news comes out regarding the Jungle, I'll be sure to keep you updated. For now, this sits squarely in the Nifty News of the Day category.